


Sad Bird Lady

by yoshizora



Category: Xenoblade Chronicles
Genre: Gen, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-27
Updated: 2020-06-27
Packaged: 2021-03-04 06:40:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,487
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24939202
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yoshizora/pseuds/yoshizora
Summary: Tyrea joins Melia and her friends for dinner.
Relationships: Tyrea & Dunban, Tyrea & Riki
Comments: 8
Kudos: 41





	Sad Bird Lady

**Author's Note:**

> yah
> 
> this takes place after FC, before alcamoth is completely restored

Seeing as the Imperial Palace is in absolutely no condition for inhabitance, everyone took Junks and the other ships back to the colony to spend the night. A few remained behind, unbothered by the prospect of camping out in Gran Dell’s shabby tents and uncomfortable cots, but many others were rightfully unsettled by the presence of Telethia.

Although the Telethia seem to be no longer hostile.

They gather in Dunban and Fiora’s house for a dinner celebrating their first day of restoration. Melia had been given her own cottage after the new colony was established, by the shore and out of earshot from the town’s cheery squabbles, but tonight she isn’t afforded the luxury of silence. Neither are Teelan and Tyrea, apparently, so graciously invited ( _insisted_ that they come along) by Fiora.

Nobody comments on Tyrea’s presence. Even Reyn, who would be the first to blurt out something to make the atmosphere completely uncomfortable, holds his tongue. Melia vouched for her and that’s good enough— _should_ be good enough, and no one is willing to cause unnecessary tension with mentions of— _oh, remember how Tyrea wanted to kill you, Melia? Remember how she hated all Homs and called us filth? Remember how her transformed mother was destroyed before her very eyes?_

The dinner is a gesture of good will. To let Tyrea know that she’s accepted and any past grudges hold no weight. She’s aware of that, but she still stands by the doorway with her arms crossed and lips pressed in a thin line. These… are Melia’s friends. She had insulted them as if they were beneath her the last time they met. Putting on pretenses and acting as if she can be a part of their group would be wrong.

Besides, Teelan is already making himself at home and having a good time, and that’s all that really matters.

“Fiora’s food is the best! Makes Riki’s tummy very happy!” Riki bounces over to Tyrea, the first to notice her silence amongst the laughing and chatter. “Sad Bird Lady must try, must try!”

“Who are you calling _Sad Bird Lady?_ ”

“Why Bird Lady so sad? Riki notice these things! Cannot hide feelings from Riki, no matter how hard you try! Bird Lady _very_ sad.”

“How dare you make such baseless assumptions? I’ll punt you, you little—“

“Oho! Maybe Sad Bird Lady is Angry Bird Lady!? Nyaha, try and catch Riki!” And there he goes, bouncing off, though there’s really not much room to run around; he bumps into Reyn and promptly seems to forget about Tyrea, now leading Reyn to chase him instead.

“He means no offense,” Dunban chimes in, lounging on a raggedy old couch by the stairs. “Riki is only trying to goad you into playing with him. You aren’t the type for horsing around, I take it?”

“Not particularly,” she stiffly says.

Dunban sits up and gestures for Tyrea to take the spot next to him. She chooses to stand beside the couch instead, arms still crossed. The wall behind her is covered with framed portraits and various knick-knacks hanging from nails, so she can’t even lean back.

From here, they can see everything: Fiora preparing the food with Melia’s help, Sharla grabbing Reyn and Riki by the scruffs of their necks, and Shulk and Teelan huddled over some books in the corner. It’s cramped beyond belief yet so lively. Nothing at all like the somber, tentative hope of those who settled in Gran Dell.

“I always believed that our paths would cross again,” Dunban says, mouth turned upward in faint amusement. “But I never could have predicted that you would be here, in my living room, about to sit with us for dinner.”

“Chance can be an unusual thing.”

“Yes, quite.”

It isn’t as though she entirely _dislikes_ talking to people. The kindness of the refugees is something she would never refute. Those who fought to defend Gran Dell from the Fogbeasts were reliable as well, and some of them… looked up to her, apparently. When did she even become part of their defense force? But _friendship_ is still an idea out of reach, wholly unfamiliar.

It’s not for her. That’s just the type of person she is. Was. Was, maybe. Before the refugees and Teelan and Melia.

Grappling with change is just as unfamiliar.

“Hmm… you remind me of Melia, when we first met.”

“Is that so?” The old her would have bristled at such a comparison.

“Yes. She was wary and kept her distance, just as you’re doing right now. Is that part of your nature as a High Entia? Or are you both just that stubborn?”

“I never considered myself to be one so reticent,” Tyrea says, the muscles in her shoulders slightly relaxing. “In retrospect, however… no, I wasn’t stubborn. I was ignorant. It took far too long for me to realize my shortcomings.”

Dunban nods, apparently in approval. “Admitting such things takes a great demonstration of strength.”

“You think of me to be _strong._ ”

“Well, you were _quite_ the force to be reckoned with when we fought in the tomb.”

“Ah, that.” She hesitates, then sits beside Dunban. The couch isn’t very comfortable at all. Did he dig it out of the trash?

He chuckles. “None of us are the type to hold grudges. Not anymore, at least."

* * *

The table is only meant to seat four, but they cram some extra crates around it, and then drag over a bigger crate when they realize all the dishes can’t possibly fit on the table alone. If Tyrea thought the house was cramped before, now it’s practically suffocating. Everyone’s scrambling to take whatever seat is available, happily bumping into each other with cheerful jabs and friendly pushes. Tyrea stays out of reach.

“Sad Bird Lady sit next to Riki! Here, here! Come sit!” Riki, perched atop a wooden box, gestures to the seat next to him.

“Riki, why do you call her that? Her name is Tyrea,” Melia says, squeezing past Fiora to set down some napkins and utensils.

“Riki will use proper name when Bird Lady stop being so sad!”

“For the last time, I am _not_ sad!” She looks to Teelan to see if he would back her up, but he and Shulk had brought one of the books from their corner to pore over. Both of them are completely oblivious to everything else that’s going on.

“Oh, don’t be afraid to speak honestly. It took Melia a while to learn that,” Sharla says with a wink. Melia appears only somewhat affronted; she swivels on her heel to continue helping Fiora scoop the food into bowls and onto plates.

“Well, if you don’t wanna sit next to Riki, then you can sit next to me!” Reyn thumps his chest, grinning.

“… I’ll take my chances with the Nopon.”

“Huh?!”

She tries to cringe away when Riki pats her with one of his wings, but Dunban had already taken the other seat beside her. Oh, wonderful, she’s stuck. At least she’s not sitting next to the loud one. Though preferably, she would have at least liked to sit next to Melia or Teelan…

Fiora and Melia are setting plates and bowls down in front of everyone. There’s a creamy soup with chunks of carrots and potatoes, and thick noodles covered in a reddish-orange sauce and pieces of meat. Some seasoned vegetables, too. It’s the most food she’d seen in ages. And— it doesn’t smell half-bad, either, even when it’s mixed with the other odors of the house and a faint hint of sweat and mothballs and dust and other things.

“No books at the dinner table, sorry! You don’t want Reyn spraying food onto the pages, do you?” Fiora plucks the book out of Shulk’s hands; he and Teelan blink rapidly. Teelan seems surprised that there’s suddenly food in front of him.

“Oi! I don’t chew with my mouth open!”

“Yes, you do.”

“C’mon Dunban, ain’t you supposed to be on my side here?”

“I’m curious. While you lived in that laboratory by yourselves, what did you and Tyrea usually eat?” Sharla asks, now that Teelan is actually paying attention to those around him. “I can’t imagine it must have been easy finding food on that part of the Bionis’ shoulder.”

“Oh,” Teelan says. “Big Sis was good at foraging for wild fruits and veg. She could hunt, too! And sometimes the other refugees would share rations when we visited Gran Dell for supplies.”

“Teelan did all the cooking, really,” Tyrea mumbles.

“Yeah! You would’ve eaten everything raw if I didn’t cook for us!”

“Even the meat?!” Reyn’s eyes go wide.

“Uh huh!” Teelan nods.

All eyes fall on Tyrea. Melia and Fiora had finally taken their seats at the other side of the table. Is Melia _smirking?_ Maybe not smirking, but her brows are raised and eyes twinkling. “Yes, well— I have an unusually sturdy body constitution, for a High Entia. I found out a long time ago that I can consume raw foods without any problem whatsoever.”

“Except shellfish, right? Melia mentioned you don’t trust shellfish. That’s why I made sure not to include any in tonight’s dishes,” Fiora says.

“Er— yes, I don’t particularly care for shellfish. Thank you.” She takes a bite of the noodles. It’s… delicious. Something on her face must have changed, because Fiora looks absolutely overjoyed now.

“Man, that sounds like a useful talent. Wish I could eat things raw, too!” Reyn is somehow talking while slurping soup at the same time. “It’d be convenient, right? Not having to spend so much time cooking things… making sure the meat ain’t pink… I could pick up any random fruit off the ground and eat it!”

“I wouldn’t exactly call that a talent,” Sharla says.

Shulk cradles his head in one hand, softly laughing. “Reyn, you ate plenty of unidentified fruits off trees when we were kids. Remember that time you became ill, and…” Three separate conversations begin at once, everyone comfortably talking to one another while they eat. The sounds of chatter and silverware clinking against dishes fill the small room. Tyrea feels as though she should be completely overwhelmed, but Teelan is laughing at something Reyn said and Melia is daintily patting at her mouth with a napkin. They’re both here. It’s fine.

“Riki was correct, yes? Fiora’s food is very yummy! Sad Bird Lady enjoying it! Take more, take more! But not too much! Riki need more food than Hom Hom and Bird People!” Riki says, bouncing on his crate.

“You really are determined to wear my patience thin, aren’t you.”

“When was last time Sad Bird Lady eat dinner like this?”

Tyrea’s fork pauses on its way to her mouth. A noodle slips back onto her plate. “… Never. I’ve never had a dinner like this, not once in my entire life.”

“Riki thought so.” Riki nods. He pats Tyrea’s shoulder again, and this time she doesn’t try to lean away. “It good to have fun and happy times with friends! Riki tell secret: sometimes, Riki was sad at old village. Everyone call Riki good-for-nothing moocher! No one lend money to Riki! Pah!! Riki was sooo lonely! But then, Riki became Heropon! And gained many new friends. Now Riki is always happy!”

“ _What_ are you babbling on about.”

“Bird Lady is very sad.” Riki pauses to swallow an entire bread roll. “Just like Miss Melly. Miss Melly was very sad before, too.”

“And what could _you_ possibly know about her problems? Or mine, for that matter?”

“Riki just want to see Melly happy happy! Melly smile lots with friends! Sad Bird Lady important to Melly, so Sad Bird Lady must also be happy and smile!”

Tyrea stares at her food. Melia’s misery had crossed her mind a few times before, but not when they'd met again at the Bionis' shoulder. That was a topic not to be breached. Oh, she was well aware of what happened, with Emperor Sorean’s death and then the tragedy of Prince Kallian, on top of all that had happened to the people of Alcamoth. But Melia shouldered all of it, to be a ruler worthy of their ancestors’ pride. Someone like her… compared to herself…

“Do you pity me? Is that it? Have I become so pathetic that I’ve earned the sympathy of even a Nopon?”

“Riki not just a Nopon!! Riki is Heropon!!”

“Is he bothering you, Tyrea?” Dunban, previously occupied in a conversation with Sharla to his left, now turns to his right.

“… It’s nothing.”

* * *

No one gets the chance to go for seconds, not with Reyn and Riki eating as much as they can. But Fiora had cooked more than plenty and everyone is content to sit back after all the food is gone, comfortable in their company. The ether lamps outside have been lit up.

“Oh, before I forget— Big Sis!” Teelan had grabbed the book again, now that the table is cleared and there’s no danger of food being spilled. “Mister Shulk and I have been comparing notes all evening, and I think he might be able to help us with our research!”

“Yeah,” Shulk nods. “There’s an old restoration chamber we used to get Fiora her Homs body back. It’s of High Entia origins, too. When we return to Alcamoth tomorrow, I’d like to see if there’s anything useful around the capital or the shoulder that had fallen when the Bionis collapsed.”

Melia stands up. “You mean…”

“Well, right now, it’s kind of a long-shot,” Shulk admits, scratching his hair. “The restoration chamber was clearly used for medical purposes. Anyone who lost body parts could grow them back in the chamber, for instance. Like Fiora.”

“And the chamber is way too small for a whole Telethia to fit inside,” Teelan adds.

“But if I could figure out _how_ it works, and we combine that with what you and Teelan have found out so far…”

“Then we can save them!”

“—If my involvement is alright with you,” Shulk hastily says. “I wouldn’t want to get in the way, after all.”

Tyrea heard their words, but she’s still trying to process it all. An ancient High Entia restoration chamber… it was used to restore a faced Mechon back into a Homs… that kind of technology could potentially… save the Telethia. Their people.

“Of course it’s alright,” she breathes out, scarcely able to even believe it. A great, unexpected boon. “Thank you… Shulk. Your help would be greatly appreciated.”

“It’s no problem at all,” he says. “But we may have to wait a while. The restoration chamber is currently occupied. Fiora wasn’t the only Homs who was turned into a faced Mechon, after all.”

* * *

The night air is cool. Everyone meanders outside to enjoy the weather, swatting small bugs away to the tune of waves crashing against the nearby shoreline. Nightlife in the new colony is robust with so many inhabitants, but Dunban’s house is far enough away that no one passes by.

“Did you have a pleasant evening, Tyrea?” Melia asks.

She considers the question for a moment. It wasn’t half bad. “The food was enjoyable.”

“I shall pass your praises to Fiora.”

“When I see these people, knowing you had traveled with them… perhaps the big oaf was right. I was jealous of you.”

There were many other reasons to be jealous. Those reasons haven’t faded at all, really, and maybe she’s still a little envious. But there’s no reason nor urge to act on that envy. Trying to kill Melia is unthinkable at this point.

“I had almost forgotten what he said, that day.” Melia sighs, watching Reyn give Teelan a piggyback ride while Sharla and Shulk chase after him to make sure Teelan doesn’t fall off. “But that holds no meaning whatsoever now. They could be your friends as much as they are mine.”

“Is it right for me to befriend them all? After everything I’d done?”

“Must we have this conversation again?”

“I hope you don’t mind, but I couldn’t help but overhear,” Dunban says, stepping outside with a steaming mug of something. It smells like coffee. “Let me get this right. Tyrea, you regret all your past actions. You think you’re an irredeemable wretch who doesn’t deserve anything good in the world. Am I on the mark?”

“Dunban!”

“No, Melia, let me continue. What good will it do to continue stewing over your past sins? Denying yourself these simple joys won’t redeem you; not now, and not ever. If you still can’t see that, even when Teelan calls you his big sister and Melia has accepted you, then you’re beyond hopeless. Call me harsh, but that’s the way I see it.”

Tyrea feels an old surge of indignation and anger flare up, but it dies down as soon as she notices it. That isn’t who she is anymore. She’s not going to bare her teeth at Dunban and storm off in a huff, because she’d changed enough to know that such actions are childish and pointless. “… Loathe as I am to admit it, you’re right. I can’t stew in this self-pity anymore. I know that.”

“There you go, then. That means we can be friends now, can’t we?” Dunban extends a hand.

It’s difficult. But she can do it. Maybe. One step at a time. One day at a time. Tyrea takes Dunban’s hand and shakes it.

Something nudges her leg, and Tyrea looks down. It’s that Nopon, wiggling his body back and forth, apparently pleased as punch. “Sad Bird Lady not so sad anymore! Riki very happy to see! Sad Bird Lady make friends with Dundun now! Hooray!”

“Oh, Heropon Riki. I guess you really do have a soft spot for High Entia girls,” Dunban laughs.

“Hmph. You can stop referring to me as _Sad Bird Lady_ , then.”

“Ohhh, you right! Ok-ok, Ty-rey-rey!”

“ _What_ did you just call me?!”

“Ty-rey-rey make scary face! Melly, hold Riki!!” He leaps right into Melia’s arms, earning an airy giggle and a pat on the head.

* * *

Reyn volunteers (Sharla volunteered him, actually) to carry a sleeping Riki back to his own house before Oka comes over to see why he’s staying out so late. Sharla says her good-nights and heads out shortly after he leaves (with Riki tucked under one arm, snoring away), which prompts Melia to make an offhand comment about returning to her own cottage as well. Fiora stops her.

“It’s been a while since you’ve stayed with us for the night! I’ll pull the old mattresses and blankets out,” Fiora says. Without even waiting for either of them to speak up, she turns to Tyrea and Teelan. “There should be space in Dunban’s room for Teelan, I’m sure he won’t mind. Tyrea, are you alright with a mattress on the floor? I can give you my bed if you’d prefer.”

“That won’t be necessary.” Tyrea looks down. “I can sleep on the floor.”

“Alrighty! I’ll be right back.”

“Sis,” Teelan says, tugging at her sleeve. His eyes are wide. “Can I go with Mister Shulk to his research lab? He’s gonna show me some of his work… unrelated to our research, but I thought it’d be interesting. I won’t stay out too late, promise.”

“You don’t need to ask my permission for that, Teelan. Go have fun.”

“Thanks!”

Fiora had already gone to busy herself with dragging out the mattresses, leaving Tyrea alone with Melia for the time being. She’s smiling with a vaguely knowing smile that a part of Tyrea would maybe, but not actually for real, would like to smack off her face. But not actually for real. Instead, Tyrea lightly slaps her arm with one of her wings. There, feathers can’t hurt anyone.

“It brings me great comfort, seeing you like this.”

“Like what?"

“… Happy.”

Could she deny it? Sure she could, but Fiora is coming back over, dragging two mattresses down the stairs with loud thumps. “Dunban already fell asleep! Can you believe it? I still have all those dishes to wash, too… ugh, maybe I’ll get to those in the morning.”

“I shall lend a hand,” Melia declares, already rolling up her sleeves and heading straight for the kitchen. “You cannot be allowed to clean up all by yourself! It would be rude to expect our hostess to do so.”

“No, you don’t need to— oh, haha, there she goes…”

Tyrea considers what they’d all said tonight. Riki, and Dunban, and everyone else’s kind words. She realizes, right then, that she’d barely even given thought to her research with the Telethia all evening until Shulk and Teelan had brought it up. That’s never happened before. But then again, she’d never had a proper hot dinner at a table surrounded by Homs while sitting beside a Nopon, either.

She pulls her gloves off, walking over to join Melia and ignoring Fiora’s protests. “Get out of the way. I’m going to help as well.”

**Author's Note:**

> sharla has her own little flat with juju, reyn probably has housing provided by the defense force, and i like to think shulk lives with fiora and dunban after the events of the game (tho he had probably stayed in some defense force barracks with reyn too)
> 
> as always, you can also find me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/ardainian).


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